Golden Sun: The Vortex Mystery
by Devanor
Summary: If the Golden Sun never happened, how would it affect the world as of Dark Dawn timeline? [Abandoned...]
1. Prologue

**A small prologue for a story i'm writing.**

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The sound of chirping birds awoke him, and Matthew sat up. Looking around, he found himself in an unfamiliar town. What caught his attention was the massive Psynergy Stone in some distance from where he was sitting. _What the... Where am I? _The memories hit him like a Grand Golem, as he remembered what had happened.

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They had finally gotten home to the cabin with the Roc Feather. As the three of them, consisting of Matthew, Tyrell and Karis, stood on the bridge, Matthew stared in horror at the gigantic Psynergy Vortex. As the others noticed where he pointed and saw it themselves, they all thought in unison:

_The Mourning Moon? _

Yet they had no time for questions. The Psynergy Vortex pulsed, and grew, at a rate unheard off. Matthew reacted immediately, using **Move **to push Karis and Tyrell away, hoping that they would be able to escape. He never got to know if he succeded in his attempt, as the Vortex swallowed him, and the loss of Psynergy made him pass out.

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He was swallowed by a Vortex, so why was he in a small town like this? He realized what the Psynergy Stone reminded him off, from his father's stories about their journey 30 years ago. A similar stone existed in only one place, long thought destroyed:

Vale.

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**Vale?! It was destroyed following the Golden Sun 30 years ago, so why did he wake up in a town similar to it? We'll see soon enough!**


	2. Chapter 1

**Sorry for the wait folks, it's finally here, the first chapter!**

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He ran through the village, noticing some of the villagers waving to him, as if they were acquaintances. Yet none of them seemed familiar. After waking up, the first thing that had caught his attention was the massive Psynergy Stone. It was highly unnatural for something like that to exist in a village, as most people feared anything that had to with Psynergy following the Golden Sun. Despite that, no one even looked at it, as if it had always stood there. Matthew wondered where he was, but from the stone alone, he could hazard a guess.

Vale.

He had, at first, almost laughed at the idea, yet a part of him couldn't help but wonder: what village in the world had a huge Psynergy Stone like this, if not for Vale? Of course, Vale had been destroyed with the rise of the Golden Sun, that's why he thought the idea was laughable. Still...

Matthew realized that standing there pondering wouldn't get him anywhere, so there was only one thing to do: find proof whether this was Vale or not. He already had an idea how to do that. Vale had something that didn't exist anywhere else in the world of Weyard.

Sol Sanctum.

From his father's stories, he had been told Sol Sanctum was in the mountain – or rather, the inactive volcano – to the north of the village. And indeed, the village did have a mountain to the north. Altho that alone proved nothing. As he arrived, he saw something that looked like an entrance. Matthew, however, never got any closer than that.

"Hey! What are you doing here?" a voice from behind yelled loudly. A priest walked toward him, and he didn't look happy. "You should know only priests are allowed to enter the sanctum. Come on, be on your way!"

Matthew obeyed, knowing it was best not to cause problems... yet. _I didn't get to confirm if this really is Sol Sanctum, but i'll try again later. _A thought suddenly hit him. Where is Tyrell and Karis? He had been too occupied with finding out where he was that he had completely forgotten about them._ Some friend I am..._

"Ah, there you are, Matthew!" Someone a few meters ahead of him said. The voice itself he would recognize anywhere, but the person from whom the voice originated from... The man looked to be around his fifties, his hair being mostly blond with some gray strands. Matthew almost asked 'Who are you?', but something about the face was familiar...

"Dad?" Matthew asked slowly, as he believed -or hoped- that he would be wrong.

"Yes Matthew?" The man, now confirmed to be his father, Isaac, answered.

He couldn't believe it, he didn't WANT to believe it, but somehow the pieces fell together. The village, the sanctum, the Psynergy Stone, and now his father, who didn't look older than thirty last time he saw him now obviously was close to his fifties. _Could it be... Is this how my father would've looked like if the Golden Sun never happened?_

"Are you alright, son?" Isaac asked as he walked up to Matthew. "You look a little pale."

"I... I'm f-fine..." Matthew stuttered when answering. Of course he wasn't fine, he thought he were going crazy.

"Let's go home son, Jenna's almost done with dinner." Isaac said. Hearing 'dinner', Matthew's stomach rumbled, and he realized he hadn't eaten for almost a day. Isaac laughed. "No wonder you're pale when you're that hungry!"

As they walked, Matthew looked at his father. "Where's Tyrell?"

"He's probably cutting some firewood." Isaac looked at Matthew. "After dinner, why don't you two get the roof fixed?"

"Sure..." Was all Matthew could answer. _I have some time to kill before tonight, anyway. If i'm correct in that the Golden Sun never happened, then the world is slowly dying. I have to convince Tyrell to come with me, help me raid the sanctum, and then we have a long journey ahead of us... Luckily, I know the Sun Saga story like the back of my hand, i'll just have to do my best to follow it, and hopefully I can save the world like my dad was supposed to..._

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**The first chapter in what will be my first long story. As always, my chapter is short compared to what's the norm, but i really had difficulty getting anywhere. I also want to apologize once again for the long wait, but i lacked both motivation and inspiration for this story, but thanks to a Guest's praise i got the motivation i needed. So if you know you're the Guest and you're reading this, thanks!**


	3. Chapter 2

**HELLOOOOO READERS! Truth be told, I had given up on this story. After finding out LinkNotZelda had made a fanfic of his own thanks to my idea, I decided to start writing again. So if any if you like this story, give him(her?) a special thanks!**

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As he walked beside Isaac, Matthew finally realized what was missing. The Sol Blade, his djinni, as well as his gear in general. Currently, his "armor" consisted of a cotton shirt and padded gloves, and his "weapon" was a machete. He didn't notice at first, with the initial confusion. Which was odd in itself, given how much stronger one became with 9 djinn. It was as if he only had the memories of his djinn, adventures and accomplishments, like it was nothing more than a dream. Or a nightmare, given the Grave Eclipse...

"What are you thinking of, Matthew?" Isaac asked while laying a hand on his shoulder.

Matthew quickly came to his senses. "Just a dream I had." he answered.

"I see... because we're home, and you have been standing in front of the door for a good five minutes." Isaac chuckled.

Matthew intended to say something, but as he opened the door, any words got stuck in his throat. His mother, Jenna, was preparing dinner. He hadn't seen her for so long after he and his father moved up to the Goma Plateau. What was even more surprising was the fact that while Isaac looked old, Jenna certainly did not. She seemed to be somewhat older than thirty five, but not more, despite being near fifty. Her auburn hair was also cut fairly short, just barely reaching her shoulders.

"Why hello there, Tyrell." Isaac said while taking off his boots.

Matthew had been so focused on his mother than he hadn't noticed Tyrell helping her out. At least he was like Matthew remembered him, except he didn't have the Darksword on his back. He nearly chuckled at the memory, when they had first acquired it at Obaba's forge. Despite everyone's warnings, Tyrell decided to use it regardless of it being cursed. They had to travel far and wide in order to get a Cleric's Ring, so the curse wouldn't get him killed in battle.

Tyrell looked at Isaac. "Hey Uncle! The firewoods' all cut and stacked!" Isaac nodded in thanks.

After dinner, the two boys went outside under the pretense of fixing the roof. Matthew, however, had other plans.

"Hey, Tyrell, have you seen Karis around?" Matthew asked him. Tyrell gave him a confused look. "Who's Karis?" _Great. _Matthew thought. _Asking him about Rief is most likely also pointless. So, then the question is: where are the two of them?_

"Matt? Are you alright?" Matthew looked at him. "No, can't say I am. And I will need your help with something tonight." Tyrell looked at him. "With what?" Matthew gave him a small grin. Knowing Tyrell, he was still as mischevious as always. "Have you ever wondered what the inside of Sol Sanctum looks like?" At this, Tyrell's eyes lit up. True enough, he had always wanted to see the inside, and the fact that it was forbidden only made it more desireable to find out.

With that it was decided. When everyone else would be asleep, Matthew and Tyrell would enter the Sanctum.

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**Over already? Noooo! At least i've finally started writing again.**


	4. Chapter 3

**Wooo, another chapter!**

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As soon as the roof had been fixed, Matthew, followed by Tyrell, asked around the village for where someone was living... Or rather, to Matthews horror and Tyrells confusion, someone once lived. Now, outside the abandoned building, the duo was hesitating to enter. The blonde, knowing time was of the essence, opened the door. Dust, having gathered over fifteen years since the previous owner died, swirled up from the gentle breeze that entered the house due to the door's opening.

The red-head finally spoke up. "Matt, are you sure we should be doing this? Aren't we, like, desecrating the old man's final resting place?" Matthew, however, wasn't as concerned as his friend. "Tyrell, they've aleady given him a proper burial. The reason this place was left abandoned wasn't out of respect, but rather, no one could be bothered to patch the place up."

As Matthew was searching the shelves, Tyrell found a book lying on a table. The words were just barely readable, and the red-head read them out loud, in case the blonde was interested. "Theories on Alchemy, by Kraden." The name stung in Matthew's heart. Kraden, the "old man", had passed away fifteen years ago due to his age, at a staggering eighty five. _He was essentially one hundred years old when we got to know him, his age having practically stopped altogether following the Golden Sun event. Since it never happened, however... _

As he forced back a tear, Matthew continued his search. He had told Tyrell to search for small bags, dark grey in color and fairly heavy for their size. When he opened one of the drawers, Matthew found it. "Here they are! The Mythril Bags!" _With this, we have all we need before we enter the Sanctum. _Tyrell looked at the four small bags and asked. "What are those for, anyway?" Matthew gave him a small smile. "You'll see once we get deep into the Sanctum." Tyrell wanted to ask how Matthew could know anything about the Sanctum since no one besides the Great Healer had ever entered it, but decided against it, as Matthew had never lied to him before.

After nightfall, the two sneaked up the stairs that led to the Sanctum. The Healer guarding the entrance was most of the time merely a formality, since it was forbidden to enter. Outsiders rarely came to Vale anyway, but they had a patrol just in case. Matthew and Tyrell were going to be the first people who would break this rule. As the guard continued on his way, the duo hurried past. _Makes you wonder why they simply didn't have a guard outside the Sanctum doors, it would've made this impossible... _Matthew thought, in awe of the Great Healer's stupidity. As they entered, they drew their weapons, since Matthew had warned Tyrell that there may be monsters inside. That could possibly explain why only the Great Healer was allowed to enter. If you had such great power at your disposal, surely even monsters would be wary of crossing your path...

They didn't get far inside before some slimes assaulted them, which they quickly dispatched. _As I thought. Rather than being deadly, they're meant to scare invaders off. _Matthew thought as he cleaved yet another slime in two. His weapon most certainly wasn't comparable to the Sol Blade, yet these monsters were weak enough to die by a single attack, regardless. The duo strode forward, getting past puzzles and monsters thanks to Matthews knowledge of the interiors and their combined power over earth and fire. They soon completed the last puzzle, which also contained a trap Matthew swiftly disarmed, which opened a portal. _Beyond this is the Elemental Star Chamber. Now the question remains: How will the Wise One react to our presence there? Hopefully not with hostility, or we might have a problem..._

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**Sorry that i skipped all the puzzles and traps, but i wanted to focus on what would be different from the real timeline and whatnot, and i doubt Sol Sanctum's interior would be different after thirty years, since it's remained the same for hundreds, possibly thousands of years...**


	5. Chapter 4

**First and foremost, I want to apologize. While I did say i've continued the story, i've been lazy, busy playing games and other things that's prevented me from writing. Pathetic excuses, I know, but it's the truth. Good news is, I haven't given up on the story.**

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As the duo entered through the portal, they were both stunned at the sight that welcomed them. The beautiful sight that was the Elemental Star Chamber was something not even Matthew was prepared for. He had heard the stories from his father, yes, but they most certainly didn't make it justice.

"By the elements, just look at this place!" Tyrell exclaimed, bringing Matthew out of his stupor. However beautiful it was, Matthew couldn't tarry any longer. Looking around, he caught sight of it. The statues four, each holding one of the Elemental Stars they would need for their journey to save Weyard. Tyrell being Tyrell, he took a step forward, unprepared for the slippery ground they were standing on, and skid forward towards the edge. Matthew acted quickly, using a basic Venus Psynergy so that his boots got grip on the ground, managed to stop Tyrell from falling down into the... water? Whatever it was, it was far down, and his parents never got to find out what the liquid was, and Matthew most definitely weren't taking any chances.

Tyrell gave out a heavy sigh. "Thanks, Matt." Matthew nodded in response. "Tread carefully behind me." As the two jumped from pillar to pillar, they first collected the Venus Star. As the star was removed from the statue, other pillars rose from the water, giving access Mercury Star. Following the pattern from the story, they now had all four stars in their possession. Matthew looked around, as if waiting for something.

"What's wro-" Tyrell never got to finish the sentence, as strong light emitted from the statues. Multiple orbs appeared around them, before they started floating up. Knowing what it was, Matthew channeled his Psynergy inwards, hoping it would attract "their" attention. He succeeded, and the orbs of different coloured lights flew towards him and Tyrell. The orbs split up, half of them going to Matthew and the other half going to Tyrell. _Amazing. _Matthew thought. _I've only ever had nine at a time before, now me and Tyrell have half of all existing Djinn shared between us._

"What just-" Again, Tyrell was interrupted, this time by a violent tremor, and the liquid he had almost fell into evaporated. From the roof of the Chamber, a spherical boulder with a single eye floated down. Despite all the power he had acquired from the numerous Djinn, Matthew still thought a fight with the Wise One would without a doubt be suicide. Thus, he made the only logical choice, grabbed Tyrell's hand, and channeled his Psynergy once more. "Retreat!" The duo vanished from the Chamber and appeared outside the Sanctum.

"Matthew, I REALLY want answers now! What were those orbs of light, what was that floating boulder and why did we have to escape from it? I'm starting to think you're hiding something from me!"

The blonde looked at Tyrell, and gave him a simple answer. "I will tell you everything once we get out of here. Deal?" Satisfied, Tyrell nodded. With that, the duo ran down the stairs towards the exit of the village. A villager spotted them and was about to ask where they were going, but Matthew made a very weak, localized quake so he fell down. While he hated using his Psynergy on others without a good reason, he didn't have time for explanations right now. The sooner they got away from Vale, and hopefully, the Wise One as well, the better.

_Now that we have the Elemental Stars, we got to light all the Lighthouses. But in order to do that, we need to find a Jupiter and Mercury Adept, otherwise we will never be able to enter their respective Lighthouses. The question is... who would help us?_

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**I can already figure some people are disappointed by the Deus Ex Machina, and I do apologize for it, but I hope to make up for it once they leave Vale. Just in case someone here doesn't know what it means, Deus Ex Machina is latin for "god from the machine" of sorts, when a seemingly unresolvable plot is suddenly resolved unexpectedly by a new event, character, ability or object. I admit, Matthew and Tyrell acquiring all the Djinn at once, and then using Retreat out of not only the Chamber but also the Sanctum directly is excessive in every sense of the word, but hey, i've never really written a long story before and I REALLY wanted to get them the h*ll out of Vale so I could actually begin the story...**


	6. Chapter 6

With Vale behind them, the duo of teenagers were on their way to the closest village: Vault. Matthew had agreed to tell Tyrell everything, although if he would believe anything was another matter entirely. Matthew had been worried about leaving Vale just like that, now that Sol Sanctum was active and all, but he didn't dare loiter around since the world was heading towards destruction, and the Wise One was now potentially an enemy. _Strange... _He thought. _Being what it is, the Wise One could easily teleport himself (her? It?) to our location. Or teleport US to HIM. So why haven't either happened yet? _Matthew quickly discarded the worry.

They reached Vault at noon. As soon as they had checked in at the tavern, Matthew proceeded to tell Tyrell of the "original timeline" as he dubbed it. As he completed, he could've sworn he saw smoke come out of Tyrell's ears. All this was most likely too much for his friend to swallow at once. (or perhaps he simply couldn't comprehend it? Matthew wagered on the latter.) While Tyrell was thinking it through, Matthew walked into the shopping area of Vault, in hopes of finding a map to Imil. After all, this world was so vastly different to his own, and even then, he had never been close to any of the four Lighthouses before. _I just hope I can solve the puzzles inside, as I most certainly can't expect any help from Tyrell... If only Karis or Rief was here..._

But even then, were they even alive in this timeline? Were ANY of Matthew's friends alive? The thought struck him like a Spark Plasma. Karis, Rief, Eoleo, Himi, Amiti... Sveta... Dead? Or rather, they may never have been born in the first place. Shaking of the thought, Matthew proceeded to buy a map, and was about to leave when he noticed the seller. The green hair and purple eyes. He would recognize those anywhere.

"Karis?" He asked carefully. The young lady in front of him jerked back a bit in surprise. "Sorry, do I know you?" _Karis is alive! _"Huh? Ah, no, I don't think so. You just... remind me of someone I know..." Karis raised an eyebrow at this. "Someone who not only looks like me but also has the same name?" _Damn, even in an alternate timeline she's as clever as ever... Should've expected that since Tyrell's as much of a dork as always..._

"Is there a problem?" A voice from behind Matthew asked. Turning around, he saw Ivan. He, like Isaac, looked older, but was as short as Matthew, just like he remembered him. "Not a problem per se, father, I'm just interested in knowing what this young man meant with what he said." "Oh? And what would that be?" Ivan asked. It was seldom the case that his daughter was interested in a man of her age. "He seemed to know me from somewhere, but when asked about it he said I merely 'resembled someone he knew'." Ivan laughed a bit at this. "Please, Karis, while your hair and eye color are certainly unusual, it's not like you're the only one in Weyard wh-" "AND." Karis interrupted. "Whomever resembled me also has the name Karis." This made Ivan turn to Matthew. He looked like he was pondering on something, before Matthew felt the all-too familiar feeling of Psynergy being used. He considered escaping, but that would only serve to make Matthew look even more suspicious. If that was possible...

When Ivan was done, he looked confused, to say the least. "Young man, I'd say it would be best if you could explain what I just saw." This time it was Karis' time to look confused. "Dad? What'd you see?" "A lot." Was all Ivan answered. "I can explain, but whether you believe it or not is up to you. It is pretty crazy, after all." After bringing Tyrell with him to Ivan's caravan, Matthew, once again, told the story.

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***Mumbles incoherently* I had hoped that once they left Vale, I'd hoped to pretty much shit out new chapters about what's different, which the story is all about, but i simply can't skip the Lighthouses or the story would make no sense at all, and for that i need to bring a Jupiter and Mercury adept... So, who wanna bet has glasses, is useless and is very much alive?**

**Rief: ME!**

**Unfortnately...**

**Rief: Hey! What do you have against me?!**

**EVERYTHING! All you can do is heal, but a Paladin can do that just as well AND they can fight! Now go hide in a corner or something, you won't appear for a while!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey folks, I have an announcement to make. As of today, Golden Sun: The Vortex Mystery is officially abandoned. I know I'm an *sshole for stating this, despite the fact that I wrote I had resumed writing earlier. The reason for this is because I can't find any motivation for continuing this story. I did have before, which is why I claimed "writing resumed", but in the end, nothing came out of it. I, more than anyone, want to believe that I'll continue in the future, but so much time has passed without me even opening up the latest, unfinished chapter. I'm still an active writer for other stories, mostly oneshots, and I think that's where the problem is: This is not a oneshot. I lose interest far too quickly. I've tried to make 3 other longer stories, and all of them have been deleted. And I believe that this one, my first attempt at writing something longer than a oneshot, is next.**

**But this wasn't a complete waste of time, unlike the others! LinkNotZelda wrote his(her?) story, "Where The Sun Never Rose" by borrowing my idea (at least [s]he said so). And frankly, that story is not only better, but it's also getting updated, unlike mine.**

**I do want to apologize for anyone who may have liked this story and who's now getting disappointed by the supposed update.**


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